Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 529: Your circle really knows how to have fun! (Please give me a monthly ticket!)
"..."

At this moment, the room was dead silent, with only Ichiro Hatamoto's tears and cries echoing in the room.

After a long time, Mariko Hatamoto seemed to finally recover from her shock. She looked at her son with complicated eyes, her lips trembling, but she didn't know what to say for a moment.

Her heart was struggling on the edge of love and pain. On the one hand, there was the bond between mother and son that was thicker than blood, and on the other hand, there was the unforgivable sin committed by her son, which made her feel so miserable that she could hardly accept it.

Hatamoto Kitaro stood aside, shock and anger intertwined on his face, his voice trembling, wrapped in endless sadness and despair, "Ichiro, how could you...how could you do such a thing?"

Hatamoto Ichiro, the son he was once proud of, not only fell in love with his cousin
Ichiro Hatamoto, the son who once carried his glory and expectations and was regarded as the apple of his eye, is now mired in the quagmire of incest and killing.

Not only did the other party fall in love with his cousin, but driven by this crazy emotion, he cruelly took the lives of his grandfather and cousin-in-law, dragging his family into an endless dark abyss.

Hatamoto Kitaro felt that the world before his eyes was collapsing and falling. He was at a loss, not knowing how to accept this truth that was like a bolt from the blue. He was even more afraid of facing the contemptuous looks of his people and the world.

Hatamoto Shoji sighed slightly, and walked slowly towards Ichiro with a serious face. He squatted down and looked at his usually timid nephew with a face full of grief and indignation: "Ichiro, why are you so confused? Love is important, but he is your grandfather, and our blood is thicker than water! How could you make such a big mistake because of this? Have you ever thought that your hands are stained with the blood of your relatives, and this will be a sin that you can never erase in your life!"

It would have been fine if it was just Hatamoto Ryuo, but from the very beginning, he didn't think that the second-rate guy who was idle all day and did not work was worthy of his niece.

Although I felt sorry for his death, I did not feel much grief or anger in my heart.

But Hatamoto Gozo is Hatamoto Ichiro’s grandfather, the relative with whom he has the purest and deepest blood ties!
As a result, for the so-called love, he was brutally murdered by the other party and died!

Such evil deeds are simply against human ethics, condemned by both humans and gods, and cannot be tolerated by heaven!
However, facing Hatamoto Shoji's stern questioning filled with heartache and reproach, Hatamoto Ichiro seemed to have lost his mind and suddenly burst into a crazy and mournful laugh. That laughter was like a handful of sharp awls, piercing everyone's eardrums and making people shudder: "What do you know! You simply cannot understand how deep and passionate my love for Xia Jiang is. The pain and torture of not being able to love someone is enough to completely destroy all my rationality and plunge me into endless madness!"

"In my eyes, love is supreme. It can break through all constraints, even the shackles of so-called ethics and morality!"

Hearing his almost insane words, Mariko Hatamoto, who had been standing aside, finally came to her senses. She staggered towards Ichiro, and grabbed his shoulders tightly with both hands like iron clamps, shaking him vigorously, as if trying to wake him up from that crazy world: "Ichiro, how could you do such a thing? Do you know that doing this will bring shame to the family? How can I hold my head up in front of everyone in the future? How can I face others with dignity?"

Hatamoto Ichiro looked at his mother coldly, his eyes filled with indifference and resentment: "Family shame? In your eyes, is the family's honor really countless times more important than my happiness? Have you ever really cared about my inner feelings? Even a little bit?"

"From childhood to adulthood, you only know how to impose the family's expectations and rules on me. I am like a puppet being manipulated, without my own thoughts or emotions!"

His voice trembled slightly, and he became more and more emotional, like a volcano about to erupt. The anger and dissatisfaction that had been suppressed for many years surged out like magma: "Also, I want to ask you, why are you and Dad able to be together even though we are both cousins, but I can't be with Xia Jiang and stay together forever? Why is that? I don't accept it! I don't accept it!!!"

"Ichi...Ichiro..."

Mariko Hatamoto was speechless after hearing her son's words. She felt as if her spine had been taken away and she instantly lost all her strength. She collapsed to the ground and burst into tears. Her cry was full of helplessness, regret and despair.

Yes, what qualifications does she have to blame her son?

After all, the root of this incest lies in her marriage with her husband. How can she justifiably criticize her son's actions?

You know, her son's unethical emotional tendency was most likely inherited from her and her husband!
Perhaps, from the very beginning, the love between her and her husband should not have started, and she should not have given birth to a son, Hatamoto Ichiro, otherwise it would not have led to such an uncontrollable and cruel situation today.

It’s a pity that once the wheel of fate starts, it is like a wild horse that has broken free from its reins and can never be stopped. It’s too late to say anything now.

Looking at Hatamoto Ichiro who was immersed in his own despair and pain, unable to extricate himself, crying blindly, and ignoring everything around him, and the distraught Hatamoto Kitaro and his wife who seemed to have their souls taken away from their bodies, Hatamoto Natsue's face was full of pain and entanglement, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

Once upon a time, in her world, Ichiro Hatamoto was just an insignificant one among many relatives, and their interactions with each other were as dull as water.

But who could have expected that the gears of fate would turn so wildly and drag her into the center of this terrible vortex.

Ichiro's forbidden love for her has become the fuse of this series of tragic tragedies. She doesn't know how to face Ichiro, nor how to deal with this complicated and desperate situation.

Just as everyone was immersed in grief and confusion, Bai Ye stood up and broke the silence: "This series of cases are all caused by obsession and desire."

Bai Ye's voice was deep and powerful, echoing in the dead silent room. His eyes slowly swept over everyone, revealing a sadness that was difficult to conceal: "Ichiro did it for love, Mr. Longnan did it for money, and Master Gozo did it for control of the family. Everyone fell deeper and deeper into their own obsessions, which eventually led to this tragedy."

Although love is supreme, it is hard to agree with the actions of Hatamoto Kitaro and Hatamoto Mariko, who only care about themselves and ignore the safety of their offspring.

However, in such a huge family conglomerate, marriage between close relatives is actually allowed, and some people even continue to violate this taboo. It has to be said that from the very beginning, Hatamoto Gozo was wrong in the way he handled his daughter!

If he had firmly resisted this unethical behavior from the beginning, even at the cost of expelling Mariko Hatamoto from the Hatamoto family, perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided.

But there are no ifs in life, and destiny cannot be repeated.

After hearing Bai Ye's words, everyone fell into deep thought. This bloody incident on the ship was not only the loss of several lives, but also a portrayal of the distortion of human nature in the face of desire and emotion.

But at this moment, the truth is revealed, but they do not feel the slightest relief, only endless sorrow and awe for human nature.

Bai Ye's eyes slowly swept over the people with different expressions again, and there was a trace of unquestionable firmness in his voice: "Now that things have come to this, it is useless to leave sadness and accusations. The most urgent task is to do our best to clean up this mess, prevent more people from being hurt, and prevent the negative impact of this tragedy from further expanding."

His voice was low and deep, resounding like a huge bell in the silent house, and like a heavy hammer, it woke up some souls that were still wandering and struggling in confusion and chaos.

"Detective Bai Ye is right!"

After taking a deep breath, Suzuki, the old butler of the Hatamoto family, stood up with trembling steps.

His eyes revealed the calmness and wisdom gained over the years. Although his face was also shrouded in shock and sorrow, he was more preciously calm than everyone else. He slowly said, "We can't continue to sink like this. We must find a way to solve the current problem. Otherwise, not only other members of the clan, but also the family's industry will be affected."

As if seeing the light of day in the darkness, Hatamoto Shoji cast his eyes eagerly at Butler Suzuki: "Butler Suzuki, you are experienced and far-sighted. Tell me, what should we do?"

Butler Suzuki frowned slightly, and after thinking for a long time, he looked around and said solemnly: "No matter what, we can't let this incident destroy the entire family. We must find a way to deal with the impact of this incident on the family, and at the same time make Master Ichiro pay the price for his actions."

If one kills one's own blood relatives wantonly for personal desires without receiving any punishment, then not only will the law not allow it, the entire Hatamoto family will be on the verge of complete disintegration.

Hatamoto Akiie raised his head, his eyes full of confusion and helplessness: "But, if we hand Ichiro over to the police, no matter how well we conceal it, the news will get out sooner or later. How will we face the eyes of the world then?"

Their Hatamoto family has already been criticized for having a cousin couple, Hatamoto Kitaro and Hatamoto Mariko. If the outside world knew about Ichiro's affairs, then their Hatamoto family would probably become the target of public criticism, pointed at by thousands of people, and bear the eternal infamy.

"I have an idea about this."

Hatamoto Natsue and Bai Ye's eyes met, and there seemed to be a tacit understanding in the brief exchange of glances. Immediately, she spoke out her proposal with a solemn expression and a steady tone, "First, we must block the news about Ichiro from the outside world and do our utmost to prevent further damage to the family's reputation. Secondly, we must calm the emotions of the crew members on the ship and other family members as soon as possible to avoid greater chaos and panic within the family, and at the same time prevent the news about Ichiro from spreading outside."

At this point, Hatamoto Natsue looked at Maori Kogoro and said earnestly, "Detective Maori, I wonder if we can help with Ichiro's matter. Um... Don't worry, we have no intention of bending the law for personal gain. We just hope to handle this matter as properly as possible under the premise of legality and compliance."

Kogoro Mouri looked down at Hatamoto Natsue, then at Mouri Ran and Byakuya who had complicated expressions, and Conan who seemed to be thinking about something beside him. He frowned slightly and fell into a brief contemplation.

After a moment, he finally nodded and agreed: "Well, okay, I will do my best to assist you, but you must remember that everything must be done within the framework of the law."

Hatamoto Natsue has said so much, it would be too inhumane if he did not agree with the other party's proposal.

What the other party wants is not to let him cover up the criminals,

Helping to conceal Ichiro Hatamoto's murder, bending the law for personal gain, was just to buy some time to better handle subsequent matters.

Why not do it since you don't have to violate your professional ethics and you can also gain favors from Hatamoto Natsue and the Hatamoto family behind the other party?

"Thank you very much, Detective Maori." Hatamoto Natsue bowed slightly and expressed her sincere gratitude. Then, she slowly swept her eyes over the people present and asked again: "Everyone, do you have any opinions or ideas about this arrangement?"

Hatamoto Kitaro raised his head, his eyes were empty, as if he had lost the ability to think, and he just nodded mechanically.

Mariko Hatamoto stared at the ceiling with empty eyes, as if her soul had been taken away, but she was still crying, and her crying was particularly harsh in the silent room.

Hatamoto Aki and Hatamoto Shoji were speechless. After a long while, Hatamoto Shoji spoke with difficulty: "Xia Jiang, can we really keep it a secret like this? Sooner or later, there will be a flaw in Ichiro's affairs."

Hatamoto Xiajiang frowned and answered helplessly, "We have to keep it secret even if we can't. This is the only choice we can make at the moment. We must do everything we can to buy time and maintain the family's business and reputation as much as possible to avoid its instant collapse. Otherwise, once our business partners hear about the changes in our family, they are likely to take a wait-and-see attitude or even withdraw their investment. At that time, several important businesses that were originally negotiated will be deadlocked, and the family's financial situation will be even worse."

"As for what happens next, we can only take it one step at a time and act accordingly. For now, we need to stabilize the situation first."

"Okay, then it's up to you."

Although everyone is not completely satisfied with this decision, it seems that there is no other way in this difficult situation.

So they quietly took Ichiro Hatamoto away, and the room returned to deathly silence.

However, although the room had returned to peace, this family tragedy was like a thick haze that forever enveloped the hearts of every member of the Hatamoto clan, lingering and becoming a pain in their hearts that could never be healed...

(End of this chapter)